Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons has said he thinks abortion is a “sin” because it represents a “tremendous mental attack” on women.
Irons, widely praised for his roles in the television adaptation of Brideshead Revisited and in The Mission, where he played a Jesuit missionary, said he is grateful that the Catholic Church was against the practice.
“I believe women should be allowed to make the decision, but I also think the Church is right to say it [abortion] is a sin,” he said in an interview with the Guardian newspaper.
“Because sin is an action that harms us. Lying harms us. Abortion harms a woman – it’s a tremendous mental attack, and physical, sometimes. But we seem to get that muddled. In a way, thank God the Catholic Church does say we won’t allow it, because otherwise nobody’s saying that it’s a sin.”
Irons also said it was a mistake for countries in the West to reject their Christian inheritance in favour of secularism. He said: “Our society is based on a Christian structure. If you take those religious tenets away, then anything goes and it will become terrible – and you usually get into trouble.
The actor also defended marriage, saying it “does give us a strength” because “it’s quite hard to get out of, and so it makes us fight more to keep it together.
“If divorce becomes dead easy – which it sort of has – then we don’t have that back-up because, for everybody, relationships are hard.”
Irons, who lives in Cork, has said he doesn’t “go to church much”; but, with his wife, Sinéad Cusack, he has raised his two sons as Catholic.
Bishops ask Scottish faithful to be more active in politics
Scottish bishops are asking Catholics to take a more active role in politics.
In a letter to be read out to churchgoers on Sunday, the bishops urge the faithful to vote in the forthcoming Scottish elections on May 5.
Scotland is being granted greater powers in several areas of law-making, including legislation regarding abortion.
The bishops urged Catholics to “scrutinise the candidates so as to vote for the person most compatible with your views” and “seek to influence political parties by making your views known to them”.
The letter warned Scottish Catholics that, by not voting, they risk leaving the future of Scotland in the hands of others. “Catholics in Scotland,” the bishops said, “should not simply be passive spectators but should be active participants in shaping a better society.”
The bishops said Catholics “might well consider it worthwhile to join a political party”, adding: “Do not leave it to others to determine the future of Scotland.”
This will be the first election since the new powers were introduced in the Scottish Parliament.
Drug smuggler’s charity work
An Irish woman jailed for smuggling drugs in Peru is said to be volunteering with a Catholic Aids charity after being released on parole.
Michaella McCollum Connolly, found guilty of smuggling 11 kg of cocaine hidden in her suitcase in 2013, is volunteering at a charity set up by Columban priest Fr Cathal Gallagher, according to reports. She was originally sentenced to seven years in prison.
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